By Ed Shepherd
Sports Correspondent

A solid core of upperclassmen, led by seniors, makes experience not a big concern for the Mount Rainier Rams swim and dive team. But depth could be an issue as they head into the 2014-15 high school swim season, hoping to improve on last year's season that did not include a top 10 finish at the 4A state meet.
"Our goal is to get to the postseason, and, I think, this is the year we can make a run," said Chris Veraya, Rams head coach.

Veraya has been around the block, so to speak, doing well in swimming, having set a couple Kentwood school records. He set the Conquerors' 100-yard backstroke mark and the 200 freestyle, too. Veraya, also, participated on the 200-yard medley, record-setting, relay with current Kennedy swim coach, Sean Prothero, as both Veraya and he graduated in the same class. Veraya's also helped coach, and, swam for, the highly successful Kent Swim Team Club through some of its past decade wins of the Seattle Summer Swim League season, and coached there, too, alongside Prothero and his sister Marley, who is a Kennedy assistant coach.

But, back to the core question of if the Rams can get back to state, and, finish top 10, and, maybe, more importantly, threaten for a hardware honor. The top six teams get a prize nicer than the other state finishers.

Well, the Rams probably will not be challenging the heydays of past great Rams teams, having won state titles back-to-back-to-back in the early 2000s under Rick Werten, but, they can make some noise, still. This Rams team's experience, in swimming and diving, could help to surprise some schools in the South Puget Sound League Central Division, certainly, this season, and turn some heads in the postseason league, district abd state meets.

"Big question now is depth, but we have a few seniors who are poised to place well at state, some are swimmers, and some divers," said Veraya.

Diving in, let's look at the group of fearless acrobats that Veraya speaks of, those guys who dive under longtime Rams, not to mention Highline School District coach Todd Wollenweber.
And Wollenweber has sent divers to state in the past consistently for the Rams, and others in the district, like, Highline's Sophia Cassam in mid-November, having received second place in the state diving competition.

"Had two first place divers, for boys, but neither were from Mount Rainier," said Wollenweber, who, for the last several years has been a judge of diving at the state meet.

It's noted, too, that three years ago, Wollenweber mentioned some fun he had with diving at the second highest level in the world, at the Olympic Diving Trials, that was held at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way back in 2011.

"That was a lot of fun," said Wollenweber. "There was a lot neat stuff going on, like when there was an entertainer doing acrobatic stuff on a pole in the water. And, I got to throw out t-shirts to the audience, screaming and stuff, raising their hands, and I got to do other stuff. I was on the deck the whole time, working, doing things. I had the best seat in the house. It was so electric, so fun."

No doubt Wollenweber's Rams divers have had fun diving for him, unless diving deep into the season is not fun. He's sent numerous swimmers to state, including Andrew Keene and Gavin Olmstead, who were top three finishers. Wollenweber, also, coached under head swim coach, Werten, during the dynasty years back in 2000, 2001, 2002, when the Rams won three straight 3A state championships.

The divers Veraya said will help the team compete this season, and the ones Wollenweber tells how to dive are experienced, state-experienced, seniors, Nathan DaDalto and Peyton Conrad, mainly. Also, senior Daniel Russell made it, almost, to state, coming up two places shy of that honor. Andy Beal dives, too, as well as swims, and is also a senior.

Conrad is a captain and finished seventh at state as a sophomore and 10th as a junior. DaDalto was 11th at state as a sophomore and eighth as a junior. So, if Conrad and DaDalto do well at state, understand that's a lot of points that can be picked up for the Rams team there. The state champ getting first place picks up 20 points in diving, and, second place gets around 14, and so on and so forth, for the top finishers, incrementally, getting less points per placement down to one point.

"They will be competing well at state. They are stronger than last year," said Wollenweber of his state divers.

And, still speaking of Conrad and DaDalto, the two highest hopes for a high state finish for the Rams, Wollenweber said, "Both are more aggressive on the board. They are refining their dives. I like the strength I am seeing."

Speaking of the word, but in a different usage, both, DaDalto and Conrad have strengths, and in so speaking of those strong points, the weaknesses surface as well.
For DaDalto?

"Height and strength are his biggest things," said Wollenweber. "He's got good DD (degree of difficulty). So, a lot of good dives. We are going to mess around with an inward double somersault and an inward two and a half somersault. We'll be working on cleaning up his form, stretching for the water, a little more on the aesthetic part of the dive."

And Conrad?

"Peyton's strengths are cleanliness. He has a good toe point into the water," said Wollenweber. "But he needs to work on getting more power."

The word "finesse" was mentioned for Conrad, as his technical points are his best traits, and that word applies to DaDalto, too, and, in fact, one certain group of folk in particular are much more finesse-gifted as divers.

"Girls tend to be a lot more graceful than guys, diving," said Wollenweber.

DaDalto likes how the Rams' whole swim team is not missing "class."

"We've started off a lot better, everyone is at practice," said DaDalto.

For diving, in particular, DaDalto said, "We are putting height on to our dives because we have been working out, doing weights."

DaDalto's season goal is high.

"I want to get first or second in the state," said DaDalto, adding, "It will take a lot of hard work and dedication, and, seven of the top 10 placers were seniors."

Conrad said of his diving group, "We've been diving together since we were freshmen."

And, of the team, in general, swimmers and divers, "We are getting better, still a lot more practice until we go to state."

And, personally, for a goal, Conrad stated, "I want to have fun this season. I am a captain. I want to be known as a fun captain, who is team oriented. I am expecting to finish better for myself at state than last season, but, mainly, I want to have fun. Diving is not about getting yourself down but about being focused. When you get down on yourself, it makes diving get worse, or, for me, it is that way."

So, to the swimming side, the Rams will be led by mostly seniors. Of the 35-40 swimmers and divers total on the team around 10 are seniors, so that's a pretty fair amount.

Eric Reiff, a senior, and Joseph Burdine, a junior, are captains on the team along with, senior Grant Meyers III.

Reiff swims the 100 butterfly, and the 50 free at districts last season, and he looks to qualify for state in one, or both, as well as help relays make state.

"Our goal is to get all three relays to state and final in state," said Reiff, meaning, by "final," to get the teams to either the main final, where the top eight teams race, or the consolation final where the next top eight race, before a large crowd on the second day of state.

Burdine swims the 200 free and 500 free events and was 23rd in the state in the 500 free as a sophomore and last year made it to the consolation final, taking 17th place overall. Also, Burdine nearly made state in the 200 free.

"I wasn't expecting it. I missed by two-tenths of a second, one place away," said Burdine. "It was just that close."

Burdine said his goal for the 500 free, the longest race in swimming, where swimmers go back-and-forth 20 times across the pool.

"I want to make it to the final," said Burdine.

Reiff, standing nearby, encouragingly, said, "And, I think you can do it."

"Thanks," said Burdine.

Burdine mentioned of his team, he thinks they will have a good 400 free relay with himself, Meyers, Reiff and Caden Tongue, another senior who should do well in the backstroke this season. Hubbard completes the medley well, with he, Reiff, Meyers and Burdine on that one.

Another swimmer that Veraya wanted to mention was Tristan Miles, a sophomore.

"I teased him about his stroke last year," said Veraya. "He looks really good in the water."

The Rams have some younger swimmers, too, and Veraya is stretching himself pretty thin right now he says trying to coach them as well as the older swimmers.

"We don't have an assistant coach right now, but, hopefully, we should be getting one soon," he said.
Veraya, in a recent practice, was walking back-and-forth on the pool deck to different groups of swimmers, explaining the strokes in various lanes, circuit training, in a sense.

It's a swim lane assignment system," said Veraya. "The first-year, and, inexperienced swimmers are in one lane, with a progression to more endurance lanes. Lane six is the intro lane, for guys who have never been in a pool. The other lanes are for gradually heavier yardage, and I don't have them do no more than 3,000 yards per day."

So, swimming a lot of laps, or boogie boarding and swimming lightly, as the swimmers do in lane 6, there is something for everyone on the team to do for practice.

The younger swimmers are important to the Rams team, too, like sophomores Cody Elam, Philip Hoang, Jason Huynh, Gurdit Sangh, Justin Marinez, Isaiah Manley, all in lane six for a recent practice at the Mount Rainier pool.

"We just have to work hard and be persistent," said Manley, who could be seen kicking in the water while head down and using a boogie board as a guide to learn about float technique, buoyancy, as one swims hard through the water in a race.

And depth is important against some teams. Extra swimmers are needed to complete a 'B' or 'C' relay so as to get the team points in dual meets this season.

"We have to keep working on our strokes so we can win for our teams," said Manley.

"I want you on the deck, helping cheer the team," said Veraya, at the end of a practice recently. "Can you come and do that?"

The voices came in unison, "Yeah."

Sangh explained he was swimming even though its not something he might be the most coordinated for, or the best at stroke technique whatsoever. But it's important to look past those kind of things and just get on the blocks and go for it.

"Some people don't want to swim because it's hard work," said Sangh. "Sometimes, you have to take risks. Swimming is a sport that works out the whole body and is a lot of fun, too."

Of the younger swimmers, Reiff said, "Watch out for Francisco Felix. He's a sophomore. Coach has shown excitement for Francisco. He shows good team enthusiasm."

Burdine and Reiff agreed in unison when Reiff said, "Some have no idea how to swim at the beginning of the season and it is really exciting to see them improve, showing a ton of improvement during the season."
And that kind of credit for the inexperienced swimmers getting better swimming goes to Veraya, so, a few words on him from these captains on the team.

"He has a lot of creative exercises, stuff for us to do, workouts," said Burdine. "Gets us interested in swimming."

So along with the managers helping out, like Noelle Hernandez, Nichole Spear, Maddie Johnson and a hopefully soon to be named assistant coach, it looks like the Rams could have a solid swim and dive team in the water this season.